Queens of the Stone Age : In Times New Roman

Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has had a pretty rough decade or more. Starting clear back in the early 2010s with a surgery that nearly killed him, then working his way into a very ugly and public battle with ex-wife Brody Dalle of the Distillers. Add in the death of friend and collaborator Mark Lanegan as well as a very public incident involving his boot and a photographer’s face and a cancer diagnosis last year. Homme has had better decades, at least personally. His music, however, has only gotten better.

Despite the rocky waters in his personal life, Homme has kept Queens of the Stone Age at the forefront of modern rock for over 20 years now. Turning his stoner/desert rock outfit from weirdo, jean jacket-clad outsiders into international rock stars wasn’t a feat that occurred overnight. But with each record it became more apparent that Josh Homme has that thing that only the best musicians and artists have, and that’s his own sound. And a real singular voice in a chorus of thousands.

With In Times New Roman Queens of the Stone Age leave the slick production of 2017s Villains behind and return to a much heavier, darker sound. Born out of crisis In Times New Roman is much closer to Era Vulgaris-era Queens; fuzzed-out, off-kilter, and big riffs for days.

“Obscenery” comes out of the gates ready to rumble, wonky rhythm and gauzy guitar riff that sounds medicated and unstable while Homme sings in his greaser crooner. The song recedes into a string arrangement before exploding back into its robot rock groove. “Paper Machete” calls back to early Queens, bringing to mind classics like Rated R, all teeth and claw. Singles “Carnavoyeur” and “Emotion Sickness” are catchy with plenty of earworms while never sacrificing the Queens’ chugging rock seediness.

Over the course of 10 tracks Homme and Queens proceed to prove why they’ve been at the top of the rock and roll heap for 20 years now. From the driving “What The Peephole Says” to the creepy/crawly “Sicily” and 10-minute epic bluesy closer “Straight Jacket Fitting”, Queens of the Stone Age return to the fold with a definitive bloody scream to the skies.

Despite some heavy years and personal crisis Josh Homme returns with Queens of the Stone Age blade brandished and ready to throw down. In Times New Roman is a dark, gritty, chugging rock and roll exorcism.